OT/IT Archives - Kai Waehner

Replacing OT Middleware with Data Streaming using Kafka and Flink for Cloud-Native Industrial IoT with MQTT and OPC-UA

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Modernizing OT Middleware: The Shift to Open Industrial IoT Architectures with Data Streaming

ByKai Waehner
17. March 2025

Legacy OT middleware is struggling to keep up with real-time, scalable, and cloud-native demands. As industries shift toward event-driven architectures, companies are replacing vendor-locked, polling-based systems with Apache Kafka, MQTT, and OPC-UA for seamless OT-IT integration. Kafka serves as the central event backbone, MQTT enables lightweight device communication, and OPC-UA ensures secure industrial data exchange. This approach enhances real-time processing, predictive analytics, and AI-driven automation, reducing costs and unlocking scalable, future-proof architectures.

Industrial IoT Middleware OT IT Bridge between Edge and Cloud with Apache Kafka and Flink

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11 minute read

Industrial IoT Middleware for Edge and Cloud OT/IT Bridge powered by Apache Kafka and Flink

ByKai Waehner
20. September 2024

As industries continue to adopt digital transformation, the convergence of Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) has become essential. The OT/IT Bridge is a key concept in industrial automation to connect real-time operational processes with business-oriented IT systems ensuring seamless data flow and coordination. By leveraging Industrial IoT middleware and data streaming technologies like Apache Kafka and Flink, businesses can achieve a unified approach to managing both production processes and higher-level business operations to drive greater efficiency, predictive maintenance, and streamlined decision-making.